NEW YORK: A 22-year-old citizen of India has been indicted here for his role in a scheme to smuggle Indian nationals from Canada across the northern border into the United States.
Shivam, whose last name is not known, is charged with one count of conspiracy to illegally bring aliens to the United States and four counts of illegally bringing aliens to the United States for the purpose of private financial gain.
A federal grand jury in the Northern District of New York returned an indictment Wednesday charging him for his role in the scheme.
According to court documents, Shivam directed smuggling operations from January through June 2025, coordinating the illegal transport of individuals across the US-Canada border into Clinton County, New York.
In January 2025, US Border Patrol agents attempted to stop two vehicles traveling in tandem near the US-Canada border. Both vehicles accelerated to avoid agents, triggering a pursuit.
One vehicle went off the road and became immobilized, while the other was later stopped in Mooers, New York.
The vehicles contained a total of 12 undocumented persons.
WhatsApp messages between one of the drivers and a number connected to Shivam allegedly revealed coordination of smuggling illegal persons into the US from Canada on numerous occasions in and prior to January 2025, including exchanging proof of life photographs and directions to safe houses in upstate New York, the Justice Department said in a statement.
If convicted, Shivam faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each count.
If convicted of all four counts of illegally bringing people to the United States, Shivam faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and a maximum sentence of fifteen years.
He was initially charged by criminal complaint in June last year with one count of conspiracy to transport individuals illegally.
The investigation is led by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs) and the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
The Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA) investigates and prosecutes human trafficking and related immigration crimes that threaten public safety and border security. So far, its investigations have resulted in the arrest of more than 435 organisers and major facilitators of alien smuggling, the imposition of over 330 significant prison sentences, and the forfeiture of substantial assets.
The statement said the case is being investigated by HSI Rouses Point and the U.S. Border Patrol’s Burke Station, with significant assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, DC, and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. The prosecution is being led by Trial Attorney Chelsea Schinnour of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section, along with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Stitt of the Northern District of New York.